Willow, our sweet dog, passed away unexpectedly yesterday. We had four great years with her, and she patiently put up with Lily and Dawit turning her into a Superhero, Fairy, Unicorn, or whatever the game of the moment called for. She was fond stealing Dawit’s slippers, which we would find in the backyard muddied and torn.

We’ll miss her enthusiastic greetings each time we come through the door. Her favorite part of the day was when her kids got home from school. She often slept on the top of our couch despite our best efforts to keep her off. She had been caught more than once with all four paws on the dining room table helping herself to whatever dinner we left there.

Lily recently came up with a new nick-name for her: “Gogey”. It’s the shortened version of “Good Girl”, and somehow we all started to call her that. It’s going to take some time to get used to our house without her.

We’re a bit sad at our house these days, we just learned that our dog Willow has cardiomyopathy. This is the same “fatal” disease that I made a spontaneous recovery from almost 8 years ago, so I am holding out some hope. Of course I’m cooking for her, and we’ve added some supplements to her diet. The cardiomyopathy combined with her pre-existing chronic lung disease is a tough combination, so please send her some love.

We have a yard full of baby birds right now, and I spent the last few days trying to find a cardinal’s nest. Finally, Lily and I spied enough on the parents to locate this little baby who had jumped out of the nest, and spent the afternoon having flying lessons. Each time we got a little too close to the baby, both Mama and Papa charged us.

***Edited to add: if you came across this post because you’ve found a baby cardinal on the ground…it’s probably fine, and the parents are nearby feeding it and teaching it to fly. Many birds spend several days on the ground before they begin to fly. If you really think it is in danger, you can gently move it. (the mother won’t abandon it). If you think it is injured, call the local Audubon Society to put you in touch with someone who can help.

Julia, a beautiful writer and beautiful soul who shared her experience as an adoptee eloquently and without judgment, passed away this week at age 25. She had leukemia, needed a bone marrow transplant, but because she didn’t have access to biological family, a match proved to be impossible.

Wishing peace for all those who loved and cared for her.

*Double rainbow photo taken on my deck on the date of Julia’s passing.